In recent years, consumer trends show concern over health issues, such as fat content, etc., and a decrease in home preparation/consumption of meals utilizing high fat foods, such as condiments of the mayonnaise type.
Commercially available creamy foods, such as spreads, condiments, and the like, are formulated with combinations of oil, eggs, starches, gums, vinegar, etc. to provide for creamy texture, pleasant flavor and mouthfeel. Bosco et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,273,790 and 4,273,795 disclose low-fat spreads which may use small amounts of pumpkin as an optional flavoring ingredient. However, no commercially available, and especially no shelf-stable, condiments formulated with vegetable matter as the main component, which is responsible for the product texture and mouthfeel are known to exist. For example, no creamy food using, specifically, pumpkin base, is known to exist commercially.
Therefore, there is a need for commercially available creamy foods using vegetable matter as a base, which is both low in fat and high in vitamins, all important parts of a healthy diet. For example, a vegetable based condiment as an alternative to conventional mayonnaise and other high fat spreads would be well accepted by the health conscious consumer. Moreover, a vegetable based creamy food that is texturally and organoleptically comparable to its conventional counterparts would be welcomed by consumers.
More specifically, there is a need for a commercially available creamy condiment, which uses vegetable matter as the main component, due to its low-fat and nutritionally rich qualities.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention is to provide a universal creamy food using vegetable matter as the main component imparting textural and organoleptic characteristics to the food.
Another object of the present invention is for the creamy food to be capable of being stored in fresh, refrigerated, frozen, or shelf-stable form.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a universal condiment spread utilizing vegetable matter, including but not limited to, pumpkin, squash, zucchini, tomato, potato, and beans as the primary ingredient.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a product with similar functionality of a creamy food, such as a condiment, but with nutritional benefits not currently available.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a condiment spread which is creamy and spreadable.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a low-fat and nutritionally rich vegetable base for a variety of food applications.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the relevant art by reference to the specification.
In the present specification and claims, all parts and percentages are by weight, unless otherwise specified.